Process Engineering

Definition

Process engineering is the activity consisting of all tasks during which the organizational process framework is created, maintained, and used to create and maintain endeavor-specific processes.

Goals

The typical goals of process engineering are to:

• Produce and maintain an appropriate organizational-standard process framework.
• Include industry best practices in the process standard.
• Use this framework to produce and maintain appropriate endeavor-specific processes (a.k.a., methods, methodologies).

Objectives

The typical objectives of the process engineering activity are to:

• Construct and iterate an appropriate, well-documented organizational-standard process framework.
• Use this process framework to construct, tailor, and iterate appropriate well-documented endeavor-specific processes.
• Ensure that this process framework and its derivative endeavor-specific processes are properly understood and followed.

Examples

Examples of process engineering include:

• Process Framework Engineering:
  • Creating a new process framework by selecting and combining process components from both internal and external (e.g., books, tools) sources.
  • Modifying an existing process framework (e.g., the OPF) for organizational usage.
  • Reusing an industry standard process framework (e.g., the OPEN Process Framework).
• Endeavor Process Engineering:
  • Instantiating the organizational process framework to construct an endeavor-specific process.
  • Instantiating the organizational process framework to construct a default process (e.g., for specific sizes or types of endeavors).

  Preconditions

  Process engineering typically may begin when the following preconditions hold:

  • The endeavor is started.
  • The organizational or endeavor process team is adequately:
    • Staffed.
    • Trained or experienced in process engineering.

  Completion Criteria

  Process engineering is typically complete when the following postconditions hold:

  • The organizational process framework has been constructed, documented, iterated, and mandated.
  • An endeavor-specific process has been constructed, documented, tailored, and mandated.

  Tasks

  Process engineering typically involves the following producers performing the following process tasks in an iterative, incremental, and parallel manner:

  • Organizational Process Team, which performs:
    • Process Framework Needs Assessment:
      The organizational process team evaluates the organization's endeavors (e.g., in terms of scope, size, overall schedule, requirements, etc.) in order to be able to assess the organization's needs for processes (and thereby its requirements for its standard process framework).
    • Process Framework Construction:
      The organizational process team constructs a standard process framework from which its endeavor-specific processes will be produced.
    • Process Framework Documentation:
      The organizational process team documents the organization's standard process framework.
    • Process Framework Iteration:
      When needed, the organizational process team iterates the process framework and its associated documentation (e.g., to remove unnecessary process components, to fix defects in existing process components, and to extend the framework with additional process components).
  • Endeavor Process Team, which performs:
    • Process Needs Assessment:
      The endeavor process team evaluates the endeavor (e.g., in terms of scope, size, overall schedule, requirements, etc.) in order to be able to assess the endeavor's needs for its process.
    • Process Construction:
      The endeavor process team instantiates the process framework by selecting and tailoring the appropriate process components to build the endeavor's process.
    • Process Documentation:
      The endeavor process team documents the approved process and communicates it to the endeavor staff and other stakeholders (e.g., the customer and subcontractor organizations).
    • Process Tailoring:
      When needed, the endeavor process team tailors the process and its associated description and conventions to better meet the specific needs of the endeavor.
  • Management Teams, which performs:
    • Process Framework Mandating:
      The organizational management team mandates the use of the standard process framework by its endeavors.
    • Process Mandating:
      The endeavor management team mandates the use of the endeavor-specific process by the endeavor's teams.

  Environments

  Process engineering is typically performed using the following environment(s) and associated tools:

  • Development Environment:
    • Process tool
    • Browser (for evaluating external process frameworks and processes)

  Work Products

  Process engineering typically results in the production of the process work product set:

  • Process Framework Documentation:
    • Process Framework Needs Assessment
    • Process Framework Description Document (or equivalent)
  • Process Documentation:
    • Process Needs Assessment
    • Process Description Document (or equivalent)
    • Conventions:
      • Procedures
      • Role Descriptions
      • Guideline
      • Standards
      • Templates
      • Inspection Checklists

  Phases

  Process engineering tasks are typically performed during the following phases:

  • Business Strategy: Ongoing (Process Framework)
  • Business Optimization: Ongoing (Process Framework)
  • Initiation: Ongoing (Process)
  • Construction: Ongoing (Process)
  • Deliver: Ongoing (Process)
  • Usage: Ongoing (Process)
  • Retirement: Ongoing (Process)

  Guidelines

  • This activity is documented using the typical configuration for large organizations or endeavors. It is intended to be configured (i.e., instantiated, extended, and tailored) to meet the needs of specific organizations or endeavors.
  • The preconditions of this activity should be the union of the preconditions of its constituent tasks.
  • The completion criteria for this activity should be the union of the postconditions of its constituent tasks.

  ---

  ---

  ---